Data authentication schemes are used in a variety of applications, for example in order to protect from cryptographic attacks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,429,513, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a method of verifying the integrity of code in a programmable memory. The method includes receiving the code from an insecure memory, generating error detection bits for the code as it is received from the insecure memory, storing the code and the error detection bits in the programmable memory, and verifying the integrity of the code stored in the programmable memory by performing an authentication check on the code and the error detection bits stored in the programmable memory.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2012/0102307, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a secure execution environment for execution of sensitive code and data including a secure asset management unit (SAMU). The SAMU provides a secure execution environment to run sensitive code, for example, code associated with copy protection schemes established for content consumption. The SAMU architecture allows for hardware-based secure boot and memory protection and provides on-demand code execution for code provided by a host processor. The SAMU may boot from an encrypted and signed kernel code, and execute encrypted, signed code. The hardware-based security configuration facilitates preventing vertical or horizontal privilege violations.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0253708, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a method for recording at least one block of variable data in a first volatile memory external to a microprocessor, including calculating and storing a digital signature taking into account at least partially the address and the content of said data block in the memory, and at least a first random digital value internal to the microprocessor.
Australian Patent Application Publication AU 2001/027074, whose disclosure is incorporated by reference, describes techniques that efficiently ascertain that data are valid. The verification process of partial data is executed by collating the integrity partial data as check values for a combination of partial data of a content, and the verification process of the entirety of the combination of partial data is executed by collating partial integrity-check-value-verifying integrity check values that verify the combination of the partial integrity check values.